The Results Are In: Holistically-Managed Grassfed Beef Can Mitigate Climate Change

[Sheila Cooke]

After four years of monitoring and data collection by the Savory Network hub at Michigan State University, Jason Rowntree et al. have reached some very important conclusions in a newly published paper in Elsevier.

• Grass-fed beef in the American Midwest under, “adaptive multi-paddock grazing” (AMP is a scientific name for Holistic Management), provides a net carbon sink, compared with feedlot-raised beef.
• “Our results show that not only can adoption of improved grazing management facilitate soil carbon sequestration, but that the finishing phase of the beef production system may serve as an overall greenhouse gas sink.”
• “While AMP grazing requires twice as much land than feedlot, if effectively implemented over a large area, total carbon sequestration in the Upper Midwest could increase substantially.”
• “It is possible that long-term AMP grazing finishing in the Upper Midwest could contribute considerably more to climate change mitigation and adaptation than previously thought.”
• “AMP-grazed steers finished 150 days shorter and 99 kg heavier than the continuously grazed steers”, as a result of more digestible forage.

Read the full research paper here:
Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems

This article in, Beef Producer, summarises the research.
New research says grass finishing can build soil

 

[Sheila Cooke]

Here is analysis of the research by Dave Stanley, of the Pasture Fed Livestock Association (PFLA). Dave has been following research on the impact of farming on the carbon cycle for years.

Little here that we at grass roots level had not already seen or figured!

There are two reasons why this piece of research is important.

First - In previous trials, set stocking or continuous grazing of beef cattle was compared to feed lot production. Yet we know this is not the best way to manage grassland. This is the first time that mob grazing has been assessed against feedlot system in the same region using the same stock. Compared to previous reports on livestock GHGs the difference is startling, but in line with other research on grassland sequestration rates.

Second - most studies on ruminant emissions have never considered the wider aspects of the carbon cycle and the potential for soil carbon sequestration in well managed grasslands. This study shows soil carbon (unsurprisingly as soil is the largest carbon sink!!) to be an important part of the ruminant greenhouse gas emissions story.

It reports that Feedlot stock emit c6kgs CO2e per kg carcass wt, mob grazed stock sink/drawdown c6kgs CO2e per kg carcass wt.

Report attached. Highlighted for rapid read (but worth reading the whole) - yellow noteworthy, red negative info, green positive info. Comment self explanatory.
Enjoy as they say!!!
Tread lightly!

Dave

Dave Stanley

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